Stefan Finger, Head of R&D has been in the hot seat during the development of the ROLAND 700 evolution, Crista Baxter reports…

How has R&D evolved in Manroland Sheetfed since its acquisition by Langley Holdings in February 2012?

Under the Langley ownership, the speed in the decision making process has improved tremendously our developments have focused on all the relevant topics for example shorter make ready times, low energy curing (LEC), more advanced features etc. With the size of the business today, there is good team spirit in the development team all resulting in faster turnarounds.

The market is being made aware of a new ROLAND 700 evolution press how long has the development of this project taken from inception to completion?

I remember the conception very well. After receiving positive feedback at drupa 2012 on the newly designed control console, I had a meeting with our shareholder Mr Langley in October of that year, I presented our first design concept of the new ROLAND 700. His question was if we go ahead when will we have the first new machine of that type ready. My answer was: “A running prototype in December 2013”. And we achieved it, on time and on budget!

What were the factors determining the launch of the evolution?

We observed the challenges faced by the market, we listened to our customers and we learnt from the daily experiences of our own printers in our Print Technology Center

What has been the reaction of this launch by the industry?

The number of customers registering for the launch event has exceeded our expectations; the demand was such that we have now included an additional day with some more dates in the new year. Our preliminary demonstration and trials of the new press to the first customers were encouraging and we knew we were on the right track.

What has been the reaction of the workforce?

The motivation and passion shown by our workforce is second to none; with our shareholder seriously investing in the future of Manroland technology, our customers are confident in the product, the company and the aftermarket service.

We are pleased to report that during the trials of the prototype of the evolution, we have already received several advance orders. Development does not stop here, with such an active R&D program, please continue to watch this space.